Tue, 24 Oct 2006, 10:17 AM Pancake Takes Hemi Challenge at Maple Grove

Courtesy of NHRA Marketing

MOHNTON, Pa. -- Jim Pancake qualified in the No. 3 position and then worked his way through the 24-car field for the NHRA Mopar Hemi Challenge win at Maple Grove Raceway and the Pennsylvania Dutch Classic.

The Delaware, Ohio, racer drove his '68 Dodge Dart to a 8.609 second lap at 152.14 mph in his final round match up against Joey Wilkes of Zanesville, Ohio who clocked in at 8.713 seconds, 151.87 mph. The win puts Pancake on top in the point's battle for the 2007 Mopar Hemi Challenge Series with 95 points jumping past Rick Houser who won the Pacific Sportsnationals Hemi Challenge at the end of September at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, Calif. The series includes events in the second half of the 2006 season along with several events in 2007 leading up to the final event contested at the Mac Tools US Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park over Labor Day weekend.

Pancake ran consistent all day with 8.5 and 8.6 second runs throughout eliminations including an 8.581 second pass over Joe Teuton in the quarter-finals and an 8.611 second lap against David Barton in the semifinals.

Bucky Hess was the No. 1 qualifier but fell in round one to Bob Reed of Salisbury, N.C., while multi-Hemi Challenge event Champion and the 2006 Hemi Challenge Series Champion Charlie Westcott Jr. qualified second and lost on a red-light foul start to Barton in the quarter-finals.

ESPN2's Inside Drag Racing will highlight the event during their Race Report segment airing on November 12, 2006 at 12 noon EST.

2007 Hemi Challenge Series Points Standings

(Top five)

Jim Pancake      95
Rick Houser      85
Joey Wilkes      74
Michael Ogburn   64
David Barton     63